Minister Vaida Aleknavičienė in Brussels: sustainable cultural funding – an investment in the strength and resilience of societies
Minister of Culture Vaida Aleknavičienė took part in the Council of Ministers of Culture of the European Union in Brussels.
During discussions on the new Agora EU funding programme, which will replace the Creative Europe program in the future, Minister Vaida Aleknavičienė emphasized that the programme must remain the main instrument directly supporting culture. The minister stressed that in the face of geopolitical threats, culture, media, and civil society are becoming fundamental pillars of European security and democracy.
“The Agora EU programme has great potential to act as a new generation resilience mechanism through creativity, critical thinking, historical memory, and public engagement. However, this requires an adequate budget and a balanced distribution of funds. It is very important to maintain a clearly defined role for Member States in its governance structure. We welcome the proposal to include a comitology procedure and contact points in the programme, which will contribute to its management and accessibility. In the face of geopolitical threats, funding for culture is not an expense, but an investment in the strength and resilience of our societies,” Minister Vaida Aleknavičienė said at the session.
The Lithuanian representative also pointed out that the new programme must ensure cultural diversity and inclusion of small markets and smaller countries.
The Council adopted Council conclusions on the strategic role of culture, cultural heritage and audiovisual works in upholding European values and democratic resilience, also discussed Presidency's conclusions on access to reliable news and the need to strengthen media resilience, promote access to reliable news, and ensure fair competition.
"Reliable and independent news is essential for a fully-fledged information ecosystem and the protection of our democratic processes, especially in today's geopolitical context," said Minister of Culture Vaida Aleknavičienė, expressing her support for this document.
During the session, representatives of the European Commission presented two new strategic initiatives – the European Democracy Shield and the Culture Compass.
Photo by the organizers
Last updated: 04-12-2025